


Daughter of Earth and Fire

by Airmage



Series: The Trials of Rin [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist, Hataraku Maou-Sama! | The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Genre: Angst, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Female Okumura Rin, Fluff, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Multi, Shiro Fujimoto being a badass, Sibling Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2018-09-20 00:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9468035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airmage/pseuds/Airmage
Summary: Rin Fujimoto ran away from preschool, after breaking the ribs of her classmate and her father. When she finds herself in an abandoned old temple, two ancient gods appear before her and give her an opportunity; become a Priestess in The Society of the Pagans.As five-year-old Rin accepts this offer, strange forces start to stir in Gehenna, a world beyond the human realm of Assiah. A dark god senses the awakening of his youngest child, his only daughter. And he would do anything to bring her to him.Ancient powers are stirring, fighting for Rin and the powers she has. And while she trains, Rin learns just how dark this world can be, and how promises and vowes are double-edged swords..*Major spoilers for mangas of The Devil is a Part-Timer and Ao no Exorcist*





	1. Initiate

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> Thanks for deciding to read this, lol! Anyway, just a bit of heads up. I'm incorporating bits of Paganism, Wicca, and Druidism, as well as religions such as Hinduism, Bon, and others, into this story. I will not be able to do a lot of research, but I will do research to the best of my ability. Please let me know if there's anything wrong, or if you have information regarding the above mentioned.  
> Please leave a review!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading!  
> Just a little fyi, this is an edited chapter (I posted the unedited one up first). I'm also planning on incorporating bits of Wicca, Druidism, Bon, Hinduism etc into this (basically including religions which have to do with Nature and all that stuff). Enjoy! Please leave a kudos and/or a review!

The sun had started to set, and the cold air began to blow when the five-year old found an abandoned building far from anyone or any place she knew. Rin slipped through the gap left by the nearly open door.

She couldn’t see anything inside, except for the weird symbol on the other side of the building, and broken bits of twigs, leaves, and dirt on the floor. Though the walls were worn and covered in cracks, they stood strong against the raging wind outside. However, wind still managed to find its way in through the broken, stain-glass windows. Rin settled down in a corner, where the wind didn't blow as much there.

Rin took off her backpack, and curled up in the corner, arms wrapped around her legs. Tears had been streaming down her face when she ran away from school, and she still cried, unable to stop. She rubbed her eyes, hating the tears and how they made her eyes sting.

Rin sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, ignoring the sting on her cuts. “I’m not a demon,” she whispered to herself, rocking back and forth. “I’m…I’m not.”

‘ _Rin, if you keep hurting people like that, then no one is going to want to be your friend. You’ll be all alone,’_ the words of her tou-san echoed back at her. He told her that hours ago, when she hit her classmate for calling her a demon. Tou-san had left for the hospital soon after, his ribs broken. He told her he broke them on purpose, but she knew he was lying. She broke them. And she didn’t mean to!

After the ambulance took him away, she ran away. No one stopped her.

‘ _I’m not a demon!’_ she hit the ground next to her. “I’m not a demon!” she screamed.

Bats flew from the rafters of the abandoned building. She froze, eyes fixated on them as they flew out into the open night through the broken windows. But her attention was soon caught by the stain-glass, and how pretty it looked with the dying sun shining its rays through them.

But the howling of the wind made her feel uneasy. Something was…different. ‘ _I don’t like it,’_ Rin buried her head in her arms. ‘ _I don’t like this feeling. But it doesn’t…it doesn’t…’_ She struggled to find the words, unsure of how to explain it. Part of her wanted to run away from the place, to go away as far as she could. But it was getting dark, and she couldn’t find her way back now.

A breeze blew by, and she shivered; her school uniform, shorts and a t-shirt, weren’t enough to keep out the chill of the night as it started to seep into the abandoned building.

A large sound boom from across the floor. Rin snapped her head up, gasping. Every muscle in her body was still, and her ears strained to hear anything different, or strange. But she couldn’t.

At that moment, her stomach growled. ‘ _I’m hungry,_ ’ she took off her backpack and searched for any food. All she could find was a half-full bag of crackers and a water bottle.

Rin whined; it wasn’t going to be enough, but it was better than nothing. She stuffed the crackers in her face.

‘ _I left Yukio all alone,_ ’ she realized, dismayed. Her younger twin was often bullied by the older kids, and her heart hammered as she thought of him having to face them again. ‘ _I wonder if he got home safe.’_ He _probably_ would have. Gramps or another one of the monks would have picked him up, and made sure he got home safe. Yukio would be alright.

Taking the last bit of her crackers, Rin made a choice, ‘ _I’m going to look around. ´_ It was too late to leave shelter, but she was _bored._

Yet the only object of her attention was the strange symbol on the wall at the far end. As she came closer and closer to it, she could see more and more details about it. The symbol had a circle, with two crescent moons on either side, and another one at the top, with its curve touching the circle. There was a star in the circle…she frowned again, counting the points on the star. Ten! There were ten points on the weird looking star.

There was nothing else there, except for a big box right beneath the symbol.

Not finding anything else that was interesting, Rin forgot her fears and worries for a moment, and walked closer towards the symbol. There was nothing else in the big empty building. Not even pews. The only sound she heard was her feet breaking the twigs on the ground, the _snaps_ and the _crunches_ echoing in the silence; the wind had just quieted.

As she walked closer and closer, something about it felt…off to her. But not in a bad way! The air seemed to get clearer and clearer. There was something…safe, something _fun!_ about it. She climbed onto the dusty stage, heading directly for the symbol. She paused in front of a small dusty box (it had a lock on it), staring up at the object of awe.

The symbol was also made of wood. “Oak,” she realized, her young mind not questioning how she knew. Then she crouched, inspecting the large, wooden box hanging beneath the symbol before her.

There was a latch on it, with a wooden lock. ‘ _I can break this,’_ she thought, and gave it a tug. Much to her dismay, it didn’t break. “But it’s just wood!” She pouted. If she could break Tou-san’s ribs, and Tou-san was the strongest person she knew, then she could pull a wooden lock!

But no matter how much she tugged and pulled at it, it wouldn’t budge. She slammed it against the box. “Stupid lock,” she muttered. Once again, she wrapped her tiny arms around her leg, and buried her face.

‘ _I can’t do anything right,’_ she thought, her lower lip wobbling as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Outside an owl hooted, and for a horrifying moment, she realized just how alone she was, just how far away from her home. And there was no one to look for her.

And her little mind suddenly feared that no one would want to look for her. Because she was a demon.

After all, she hurt someone. _Two_ someones. She hurt people even after Tou-san gave her a lecture so many times to not hurt people. ‘ _Maybe I am a demon,’_ she thought, sobs now racking her little body. ‘ _Maybe I’ll be all alone without any friends.’_

In the silence of the night, with the owl hooting outside, and the crickets chirping, five-year old Rin cried her little heart out, alone and afraid.

‘ _I’m a bad person,’_ she thought.

A whirring sound caught her attention. She looked up, tears still streaming down her face. A tiny little stick popped out of the hole in the lock. “Huh?” in her surprise, she stopped crying. Curious, she poked it with her finger.

“Ow!” she tried to pull back, and for one fearful moment, her finger was stuck. “No!” she pulled back even harder, and her finger was free. However, a tiny little amount of her blood remained. As she sucked her finger, she watched, amazed, as the little stick pulled back into the lock. Her eyes widened as blue flames appeared around the lock. There was a click, and the flames disappeared.

‘ _What if it opened?_ ’ she wondered. After all, locks clicked when they open. She pulled it, and this time it opened rather easily.

But at the same time, she was thrown all the way across the room, and hit the wall. Before her world faded to black, she felt a warm breeze across her face.

When Rin came too, the first thing she noticed was the floor was clean. The second thing she noticed were the bandages on her hands. The room was dark, windows covered, except for a faint green glow. Rain pounded on the roof above, sending an echo throughout the room, and making it sound really loud. She looked, and gasped at the two figures seated on the box below the strange symbol.

One of the figures was a goat-man. He sat hunched on the box, with horns like a deer poking out of his head. Long ears poked out of the side of his head, like a baby goat’s. Fur covered his entire body, but Rin could see a brown cloth wrapped around his waist. The top part of his torso was bare, but it only grew hairier and hairier from there. The fur thinned out about half-way down his forearm, and his hands were completely devoid of it. They looked like normal human’s hands to her. But he had hooves for feet, like a horse or a goat.

Next to him was a woman. It was hard to tell what her skin color, her hair color, or really what any of her facial features looked like. She wore a fancy green kimono, obi and everything, and it looked like it was from her kimono that the green light came from.

The goat-man didn’t really scare Rin. But some part of her knew he was dangerous, wild like an animal. She’d have to be careful around him. The woman though…seeing the woman almost made her cry. The woman felt warm to Rin, and kind. But still, Rin couldn’t help but feel wary.

“Come forth, cub,” the goat-man said, beckoning with his hand.

Rin shook her head.

“Why not?” the goat-man demanded, a growl escaping his throat.

“You’re not safe.” She replied. He stood up and walked towards her. Rin could feel herself shaking with fear, but she stood her ground as he approached her.

He picked her up under her arms. “Is that so?” He growled, baring his sharp teeth.

Without warning, Rin kicked him in the chest. He grunted, and loosened his grip on her, but didn’t let go.

Rin raised her arms straight up in the air, and wriggled down. The moment she touched the floor, she took off running, heading towards the woman.

She could feel the goat-man behind her, and she looked back in fear. He was close, so close! His outstretched arm was a mere few inches from her. Rin halted for a moment, let his arm go past her, and then she took a swing at him, punching him in the face. It barely fazed him. She grabbed a hold the roots of his horns, and use that grip to push his head towards the left. She darted past him, ‘ _The pretty woman doesn’t want you to come near her yet,_ ’ and ran towards the door. She slipped through, the same way she entered.

The heavy rain made it nearly impossible for her to be able to see more than a few feet in front of her, but even over the pounding of the rain, she could hear the bellow of the goat man. “Child! Come to me!”

“No!” she stubbornly shouted back, turning the corner of the building and running along its edge.

Her fear was slowly replaced with adrenaline. ‘ _This is fun,’_ she thought, almost giggling as she slipped. She picked herself up, and resumed running.

But once again, the feeling of danger rose within her. Through the sounds of the rain pounding on the ground, she could her the _plop, plop, plop_ of hooves against mud behind her. ‘ _He’s coming!’_

When the heavy presence was near her, she tripped over something. The _plopping_ of the hooves slowed, then stopped.

Rin, laying on the muddy ground, looked up and found the figure looming over her. “Child,” the goat-man sneered “Created thing, are you even worth it?”

‘ _Is that child even worth raising?’_ the sudden memory of a nun at the Abbey asking Tou-san that question popped up. She had been eavesdropping in on the conversation, which happened right after Rin had hit the nun for calling her a worthless-demon.

‘ _Yes,’_ was Tou-san's reply. His reply had warmed her heart.

“Yes!” she told the goat-man. She grabbed the thing she tripped over (‘ _it’s a branch’_ ) and tossed it at the goat-man.

Then she ran back into the building.

The woman was still there. Rin halted a few feet in front of her, suddenly shy, aware of how messy she looked. She tried to wipe the mud from her and took of her shoes before she walked up to the woman.

“Hello,” Rin mumbled, looking down at her cold feet. “My name is Fujimoto Rin.”

The woman put her finger under Rin’s chin, and lifted the girl’s face so she could see her.

Rin could finally tell what the woman looked like. She had dark blue eyes, like Rin, but her skin was really dark, the darkest she’d ever seen. They reminded her of the healthy earth an elderly nun, she and her twin Yukio called her Gramma, had showed them. The lady’s hair was long, thick and black, framing her face, and was a large black bush on top of her head; Rin though it looked nice. Her lips were black, a weird color in Rin’s opinion, and they were pulled back in a kind smile.

“Are you my mom?” Rin whispered, in awe. She had seen celebrities and actors prettier than the woman, but for some reason, Rin thought the woman in front of them was the prettiest of all.

“In a way,” the woman chuckled, “Though I did not give birth to you.”

“Oh,” Rin lowered her eyes.

“Look at me, Rin,” the woman’s voice was gentle.

Rin obeyed, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the goat-man return. But he looked more human than goat this time. Though his chest and arms were just as hairy and the horns were still on his head, he wore brown pants now, with human feet and human ears. He still had horns.

“Not at him,” the woman chided, “At me.”

Rin turned her gaze to the woman. “When he asked you if you were worth it, what did you say?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“And why did you say that?”

Rin hesitated, before replying “Because one day, a mean nun slapped my hand with a ruler and called me a demon-child. So, I punched her in the face, and Tou-san yelled at me for punching her. Then I listen on them in the kitchen, and,” She cut herself off, suddenly ashamed of eavesdropping.

“And?” prompted the lady.

“And the mean nun said that I wasn’t worth saving,” she replied, “But Tou-san said I was.”

The woman’s smile widened, and removed her finger. She cupped Rin’s face between her hands, and asked her “Do you love your Tou-san?”

“Lots and lots!” Rin throw her arms apart. “Just as much as I love Yukio!”

“Who is Yukio?” the lady asked.

“He’s my younger brother,” Rin explained “We’re fra-fra-ta-nal twins.”

“Fraternal,” the woman corrected.

Something about the woman’s dark blue eyes, seemed to fascinate and scare Rin. It was as if they could see everything Rin knew, and maybe even more.

Rin shivered and squirmed in the woman’s grip, but didn’t look away. “Yes,” the woman mumbled, “You _are_ worth saving.”

Rin almost grinned, but remembered what she did that morning. “No, I hurt people,” she mumbled.

The goat-man chuckled “Everyone hurts everyone. What matters is why you did it, and how you did it.”

“Huh?”

This time he laughed, throwing his head back. His voice echoed throughout the empty building. “Yes, I agree with you, love. This child shall join us.”

The lady let go of Rin’s face, and suddenly, there was a pendent in her pale hand. It was a blue stone with the same symbol carved into as the one on the wall. But this time, there was a plus sign attached to the bottom. The chain was made of a shiny brown metal, and they symbol was in green.

“Rin,” the lady said.

“Yeah?” Rin asked, her eyes darting to the pendent before returning to the lady, and back again to the pendent.

“I’m going to ask you a question. You may say yes or no. But only answer me fully after I ask you.”

“Ok,” Rin nodded, eyes on the pendent.

“Do you want to be a priestess?”

The question confused Rin. “Like a nun?” she pulled a face “I don’t want to be a nun.”

The lady chuckled “No, sweet, not a nun. A priestess. A pagan priestess. One who worships the old gods.”

“Um,” Rin’s eyes turned towards the pendent “Is that a lot of hard work?”

“It’s always a lot of hard work,” the goat-man replied. “But, it can be fun too.”

“Fun?” Rin grinned “If it’s fun-“

“Shhh, listen,” the lady placed a finger on Rin’s lips. “It will be hard. Some people will not want you to become a priestess. Some people will harm you. Some may even try to kill you?”

“Kill me?” Rin almost took a step back. “But-but that’s bad!”

“There is good and bad, and everything in between in this world,” the lady informed her. “Becoming a priestess will help you survive this world.”

Rin thought for a moment. Her little mind couldn’t fully comprehend the entire situation. But the one aspect she did understand was the strong need to say yes.

Rin shrugged “Okay, but why do _I_ have to be a priestess?”

The goat-man laughed again, sending a shiver down her spine. “That’s a good question. A hard one to answer,” said the goat man, “but a good one never-the-less.”

“Because you are wanted,” the lady answered “You are wanted to become a priestess.”

“Oh,” She bit her lip, thinking “Um, will Yukio also be a priestess?”

“A priest,” the lady corrected, for a moment sounding like an old nun from the Abbey. “But no, he will not. He will become someone else, someone who will protect you when you can’t protect yourself.”

 _‘Yukio?’_ It was hard to imagine her little brother, the one she had to fight to keep the bullies away, be the one protecting her. Crybaby Yukio protecting her? But at the same time, it warmed her heart.

“Ok!” she chirped. “Yukio wants to become a doctor, which means looking at all the icky stuff inside. So, he has to be strong for that, right?”

“Yes,” the lady tucked a piece of Rin’s hair behind her ear. “He has to be strong…”

“So, what do say, child?” the goat-man asked her. “Despite all the dangers, do you want to become priestess?”

Rin thought for a moment, a rarity which wasn’t likely to show up any time soon. It sounded dangerous, but-

“Yes!” she declared. “I do want to become a priestess!”

The lady put the pendent on her. Rin touched the stone, amazed at its beauty. “Now Rin, there are rules,” the lady’s voice turned serious, causing Rin to face her. “First, until you are ready, you must never tell anyone about this, do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Second, it’s a long journey. If you even stop this half-way, you will forget everything you have ever learned.”

Again, Rin nodded.

“And third, we are not your family. We are merely your teachers. Do you understand?”

“But, will you be my friends?” Rin asked.

The lady frowned, and Rin was afraid she did something wrong. “You’ll understand better when you’re older.” She told the young child. “But do you understand that the only family you truly have right now are your father and your brother?”

Rin nodded ‘ _I don’t think I can have friends at all._ ’

“Good,” both the lady and the goat-man stood. Rin stepped back as the two strange beings stood on either side of the box they had been sitting on. “Open the trunk."

Rin did as she was told. Inside was a tiny box. “Pick it up,” the goat-man ordered.

She picked up the box. It was quite heavy for a five-year old, even for one as strong as Rin. “Inside this box is a game you must only play,” the goat-man said.

“You are an initiate now,” the lady said. “That is the first step to becoming a priestess.”

“How do I play the game?” Rin rocked back and forth on her feet, already eager to play the game.

“You need to be quick and strong,” the goat-man answered. “First, you must read the tiny booklet. Then, you will take the cards, and match them to each other.”

“Oooh, I like matching games!” Rin grinned “It sounds cool! I can’t wait to play it!” She moved to open the box, but the lady placed her hand over Rin’s. They were warm.

“Not now, but when you return home. And remember, if you get even one wrong, something bad will happen to you.” The lady warned. “This game will teach you what you need to know. And you must _fully understand_ what you’re taught.”

The lady was starting to sound more and more like the old nun now. She didn’t really like it. “What happens after that?” Rin asked, slightly afraid of the game now.

“After you finish the game, you will come back here. Someone will be waiting for you. They will ask you questions on what you know. After you answer every question correctly, you will move onto the next level, a Faerie.” The goat-man explained.

“What happens when I become a Faerie?”

“You’ll find out in due time,” the lady close the box. “Now go home. Your family is worried about you.”

“You’ve been gone for quite a while now,” the goat-man said. “For two days.”

“Two days!” Rin exclaimed. At that moment, her stomach growled, and the world looked a little spinny to her.

“Go home; if you are to be a priestess, you must be strong,” the goat-man said.

Rin looked down at the box she was holding “I don’t know the way back,” she muttered, with tears threatening to spill.

“Shhhh, child,” Rin could sense the woman kneeling down in front of her. A warm blanket covered Rin.

The young girl looked up in shook. And right before her eyes, the lady turned into an old woman, and the building around them started to get all grimy and old.

“Now, when you look into your backpack, you’ll find some food,” Even the lady’s voice sounded like an old woman’s! “Walk, and your feet will lead you back home. Don’t fret child. You _will_ return home. When you go home, tell them a nice old lady gave you the blanket and some food.”

“But-“

The old woman, who had once been the lady, touched Rin on the forehead, and the young girl fell asleep.

The goat-man, as Rin called him, picked her up and placed her by her backpack. He returned to the woman’s side.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” the goat-man, who is often known as Cernunnos, questioned his companion, often known as the Triple Goddess. She was currently in the form of an old Crone.

“Yes,” she replied, eyes trained on the young girl.

“First the boy, and now the girl. What strange events are at foot,” he commented, laughing.

The Crone laughed with him, “Gehenna is afoot, dear Cernunnos. As is her darkest god.”


	2. The first domino falls

_She stood in front of a man dressed in a white suit; he was sitting behind his desk, in an overly large armchair. He had his hands, covered in purple gloves, folded in front of his mouth. Even his hair was purple, and his eyes held blue flames. She could sense people behind her, but she didn’t turn to look at them._

_With a start, she realized she was crying. “D-do you know how much I suffered?”_

_The man merely smiled at her, “Oh sweetheart, little sister, my queen, I am the cause of most of it,” and then he faded, along with the world around her, disappearing into black. As it did, she heard a voice say “Speak not of the strange things you see, for you will be punished for your sight.”_

_She felt something invisible push her back and-_

Rin woke up to the cold floor pressing against her side, with a warm blanket covering her back. She felt something heavy sitting on her chest, and she took a moment to place her hands over her heart. “My chest feels really heavy…I don’t like it…” she whispered.

She felt something move against her back. Something warm and alive.

“Huh?” Weight forgotten, she sat up, yawning, rubbing an eye with one hand and stretching the other arm as she stared at her unexpected source of warmth. “ _Yukio?_ ”

Her younger twin brother moved closer to her, wrapping the blanket even tighter around himself.

“Oi! Yukio!” Rin shook him, “Wake up, four-eyes!”

Yukio shot up, glasses crooked on his face. As he rubbed both eyes, he sniffled and pouted, “Don’t call me that!”

His voice croaked a little at the end, and Rin immediately felt guilty. “I’m sorry,” she ruffled his hair, “But what are you doing here?”

Yukio shrugged, and fell silent, shivering violently. Rin wrapped the blanket around him. “Oi, tell me why you’re here! How come you’re not at home?”

Yukio pulled the blanket even tightly around him. “Y-you’re not g-going t-to believe me,” he stammered, his shivering almost unstoppable.

Rin pulled him into a hug, and wrapped what was left of the blanket, a thick woolen blanket too large for two five-year-olds, around herself and her brother. She held him close, waiting as the shivers died down. “What happened?” She asked again, resting her chin on his head.

“I-I saw a monster looking at me,” he whispered, “A-and I got s-so scared that I ran and then I saw a deer. It had these huge horns and it chased me and I got scared and I ran here then I found you.”

“No way!” Rin gasped, and hugged her little brother even tighter. “I can’t believe you found me like that!”

Yukio pressed up even further against his sister. “I got scared,” he whispered.

As she held her brother, she thought back to the lady and the goat-man she’d met. She wondered if the goat-man had something to do with the stag that had chased Yukio.

Yukio sneezed.

“Eww!” Rin pushed her brother off. “You sneezed all over me!”

“I’m sorry,” Yukio wiped the back of his nose, tears forming in his eyes. “Nee-chan, I wanna go home.”

‘ _Me too,’_ she thought, before her growling stomach reminded her she needed food. “How about we eat first before we go back home?”

“Do you have food?” he asked, eyes wide behind his glasses.

“Yup!” Rin jumped up and walked towards where her backpack lay.  She opened it, and found a large bento box. “I have enough for two!”

She brought the box back to her brother, and put it between them.

“Where did you get that?” Yukio asked, eyes wide “What if it’s poisonous?”

“Don’t worry,” she assured her brother, opening the box. “It’s not. Whoa! This is so cool!” There were panda-rice bentos in the box, as well as grilled vegetables and boiled egg and a whole bunch of other stuff she’s never seen before.

“What if it’s got peanut stuff in it?” Yukio asked, his voice quavering.

She handed him a pair of wooden chopsticks, but he didn’t take them; instead, he wrapped the blanket even tighter around himself. Rin frowned, “So what if they got peanut stuff in them?”

“Nee-chan!” Yukio whined, scowling, “We’re allergic to peanuts!”

“Oh yeah…hmmm,” she put the bento box down, and rubbed her chin with her pointer finger and thumb. “I forgot about that…Oh!” She sat up, and grinned widely at Yukio. “I got an idea! How about I take the first bite, and if nothing happens, then you can have what I ate!”

“But you’ll still get sick,” Yukio pointed out.

“Yeah, but I get better faster than you, so it’s okay!” Rin ripped apart the chopsticks, and took the first bite. “This’s good!” she declared with an open mouth. “And there’s no peanuts in it!”

She held out the chopsticks, and her little brother leaned over to take a bit. “See!” she exclaimed, watching his eyes widened as he chewed. “It’s amazing! Isn’t it?”

“Hmm-mm,” Yukio nodded his head, as Rin took another bite “It’s the best thing I ever ate!”

Rin hummed thoughtfully as she fed her brother another bite. “You know, Yukio, one day, I’m gonna make food as good as this!”

Yukio stared at her, eyes wide behind his glasses “Really?” he asked, voice full of awe.

“Yeah!” Rin leapt up, holding the chopsticks high up into the air. “And it’ll be the best food you ever tasted!”

“Nee-chan,” Yukio opened his mouth and leaned forward.

“Oh, right!” she plopped back down again, and put another piece of food in his mouth. Then she noticed he stopped shivering. “Hey!”

She thrust the bento box into him, though careful to not actually hurt him. “If you’re not cold any more, then you can eat by yourself!”

The sound of a rusty hinges squeaking open caught their attention, and Rin looked over to find their father squeezing in. “Tou-san!”

Both children rushed towards their father, who engulfed them in a hug. “Thank God!” the man gasped, hugging the kids harder than Rin had ever known before.

He pulled them back and Rin winced at the look on his face; they were going to get an earful!

But surprisingly enough, he said nothing, and pulled them back into a hug.

“Tou-san?” Both twins asked at the same time. It was rather uncharacteristic of him to not lecture them after they did something wrong.

“Let’s go home,” was all he said.

(Page Break)

Much of the day was spent being fussed over by the nuns and monks in the Abbey, though the old nun, Mother Superior Nishida Ishi, didn’t seem to care that much about her. She was the one who asked Rin’s Tou-san if she was worth saving.

Rin forgot about the gifts the Lady gave her, until after an early dinner when the Compline Bells rang.

She and Yukio sat next to each other in the pews. The priests and the nuns of the Abbey sat around them. A few parishioners joined them, but there weren’t many; Rin could count them all on her hands.

She shifted in the kimono she was wearing. Normally, she didn’t mind wearing kimonos, but this one was a proper one because it was a Sunday, and it had so many things to go with it. She liked the simple cotton ones, not the itchy, silk fancy ones.

“Your father is about to start,” whispered Father Misumi. She liked the older priest; she and Yukio often called him Misu-sofu, or Gramps. “Don’t fidget now, and fold your hands.”

“Okay,” she grumbled, folding her hands on-top of the pew in front of her. She saw Tou-san, all dressed like a Bishop, holding a staff thing he called a crow-zee-er or something, stand behind the lecturn. She bowed her head, and listened to him as he began.

“Oh God, come to our aid,” his voice boomed across the silent church “O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son-“

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yukio mouthing the words. She snickered; what a geek!

“and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

“Amen,” Rin chorused alongside the rest of the congregation. She joined in on the hymn, but her mind wandered, latching onto the voice of Tou-san. His voice was strong, and safe, comforting even. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she wasn’t even sure if she was singing along to the hymn, but oh well.

‘ _His voice feels safe…not like…the Goat-man’s…’_ her eyes flew open, and she tried not to gasp. _‘The Goat-man! The Lady!_ ’ she’d almost forgotten about what had happened, about the Lady and the Goat-man, and the deck of cards and book they’d given her.

‘ _I’m going to become a priestess!’_ she thought, fidgeting in her kimono. The hymn ended, and Tou-san had gone on to read from the Bible. “Preserve me, Lord, I put my hope in you.”

She barely heard the words as the thoughts of becoming a priestess filled her mind. Would she have to wear a dress like a nun? She hoped not; that would really suck! What if she was a fighting nun, like one who could do karate! That would be awesome! Oh, she couldn’t wait until she started reading the book she was given!

“Pay attention, Rin-chan,” Misu-sofu gently prodded her in the shoulder. Rin lowered her head so her lips were hidden behind her hands, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

The moment couldn’t come soon enough for her. She had to sit through the rest of the sermon, then dinner, and then she had to wait until everyone in the Abbey was asleep. It took _forever_ and just when Rin thought she’d be getting old and falling asleep, she finally heard the last of the bedroom doors closing. Rin then grabbed her backpack and a flashlight, then snuck out of the room she shared with Yukio. She tiptoed away towards the secret room she and Yukio found a few weeks ago, when they were exploring the Abbey. She padded along the corridor barefoot, feet barely making any noise on the wooden floor.

The secret room was at the end of the corridor, in one of the empty rooms. Inside the room, was a closet door. At the back corner of the closest was a little hatch; she tugged it, and a small doorway appeared. She threw her backpack in first, before crawling in. There was a short flight of stairs, but the ceiling was low enough that she crawled her way up. There was a small hatch at the top, and she pushed it open.

The secret room was a small area on the roof of the Abbey, with four seven-feet tall walls, and tall wooden polls on top of them that held up a roof. The night air breezed through those poles, and the moonlight shown between the empty spaces. Rin settled down on a spot of moonlight, and pulled out the book from her back pack.

“The Holy Book of the Three Worlds,” she read the title. Her heart started to pound heavily, and the weight she had felt earlier that morning came back. Rin rubbed her chest, trying to scratch it away.

‘ _I don’t like this,’_ she thought. ‘ _But…I want to do this…I_ have _to do this!’_

So, she opened the book, and read the first page.

_There many existing worlds in this universe, and not all of them come in the form of planets. There are just as many existing civilizations in this world, but when we follow time in a linear pattern, not all of them exist at once._

“I wonder what that means,” she mused, then continued.

_But there is one point in all the Universe where all of these worlds and civilizations combine together. All the planets of Assiah, the material world, and Gehenna, the spiritual world, and their respective civilizations join together in one ever-moving, ever changing, and ever fluxing point; The Realm of the Divine._

_If this book falls to you, dear reader, it means you have been chosen by the Divine. It means, despite the words in this book not being the words of your native tongue, you can still read it._

“Huh?” That last sentence was confusing! What did they mean, not written in Japanese? She squinted at the book, and realized it was right. The script wasn’t anywhere close to Japanese! And even if it was, she couldn’t have been able to read it as fast as she was.

“No way!” She grinned, pulled the book close to her, and started reading it again. This was so cool!

(Page Break)

Shiro stood in the doorway of the children’s room, eyes fixed on Rin’s empty bed.

‘ _Just what I feared,’_ he thought, then shook his head. ‘ _She’s already been recruited…the Trinity needs to convene.’_

 He took one look at Yukio, and gently closed the door behind him. He stood in front of the door, sighing. ‘ _After I deal with Ishi, then…fuck it, I’m getting too old for this.’_

When Rin and Yukio had both gone missing two days ago, panic and worry filled his mind. Fear filled his mind like never before; the thought of losing Rin and Yukio, two children placed under his care, terrified him. ‘ _What am I thinking? What am I_ doing. _’_

He wouldn’t get attached, he’d promised himself and the others that. He would raise the twins just how he and others like him were raised; provide them a healthy childhood while teaching them to be strong and maintaining a distance from them. It was how he was raised; how all of his kind were raised. It was how the Order created soldiers, _knights_ , who defend Assiah no matter what the cost to themselves.

‘ _But it wasn’t like that in the end,’_ he thought to himself ‘ _We all cared too much; we loved Assiah too much. And perhaps that’s a good thing.’_ He didn’t break out of his musings until he made his way to the Abbey’s dining hall. That room served as an unofficial meeting place for matters of the Order.

Was it kinship that made him worry, made his heart pound with fear when he couldn’t find either Rin or Yukio for two days? Was it kinship that made him worry about what would happen to those children? _His_ children?

It wasn’t, and he bloody well knew it and the real reason he was worried and that was why everything was so fucked up. He didn’t see them as what they were intended to be seen as, knights, or even weapons in training. That was what he and the others had been. He saw them as his own children; the fact that they were _actually_ his own children didn't help.

“Wonderful,” he muttered to himself, just as he entered the dining hall. But he knew he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Everyone else was already there when he arrived. Much to his displeasure, Mother Ishi was sitting at one end of the table, so when he sat at the other end, he was forced to look at her unpleasant face.

“You’re late,” she informed him in a cold voice.

“Why did you call this meeting, Mother Ishi,” he ignored the pleasantries. The sooner this was over and done with the better. There were better things to do that night.

“The Vatican has informed me that if something like this were to happen again, the weapons will be destroyed.”

There were gasps around the table. “But they’re just children!” protested Izumi, a young deacon who had graduated True Cross’ Exorcist Cram school a little more than a year ago.

“They are unholy-“

“You are correct, Izumi,” Shiro didn’t move an inch. He spoke to all who were assembled in the room, but he kept his focus on Ishi.

“Mother Ishi, whatever made Rin a ‘weapon’ is now gone, and nowhere near her person. And as you should know, Yukio was born human.” He didn’t falter at the lie, “A hundred percent human. As a matter of fact, right now, they are both human children, which the Vatican is well aware of.”

Ishi pursed her lips. “Well this _human Rin_ had broken the ribs of a child and your own ribs as well, unless you’ve forgotten that tidbit.”

His ribs ached as if to remind him. “Yes,” he conceded, as reluctant as he was. “I presume you’ve told the Vatican.”

“I have informed the Cardinal Egin, yes.”

Shiro’s eyes narrowed. “But not the Grigori, on whose order it was for me to raise the twins.”

Ishi’s hands, which had so neatly been folded on the table-top, clenched. “The Cardinal-“

“Is not in charge of this investigation,” Shiro reminded her, keeping his voice cold. “As a matter of fact, this is none of his business.”

Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by a large crashing from above.

‘ _The twins!’_

“This isn’t over,” Shiro warned the elderly nun, before rushing out of the room. He could hear the footsteps of the rest of the Abbey following after him.

He entered the hallway just as Rin burst through, carrying bleeding Yukio in her arms. “T-tou-san!” she cried out.

He grabbed the children and pulled them away just as a knife shot past him, lodging itself into the wall. ‘ _What the hell?’_ he thought. He handed them to Izumi and Nori, the latter who was a religious sister, before diving into the room.

There was no one there.

He took a few minutes to examine the room, and found nothing out of place except for a broken locker and an open window.

“Damn it!” he cursed, then headed into the hallway. Misumi Tadashi was kneeling over Yukio, who lay sleeping on the floor, with a scared Rin sniffling next to her brother. There was a first aid kit, and the elderly priest was cleaning and stitching up Yukio’s wound.

“Tou-san!” she launched herself at her father as Izumi and another religious sister, Sasa, walked into the twins’ room to inspect it.

“Rin,” He hugged the young girl, picked her up and sat next to Yukio. He studied Yukio’s wound, holding a sobbing Rin in his arms. It seemed that whatever it was hadn’t lodged itself to deep into Yukio, though there was a lot of blood loss and stitches were required. To his trained eye, it didn’t seem poisoned.

“It looks like a simple blade,” Misumi muttered, taking a quick glance at Rin.

Shiro nodded at him. “Rin,” he gently pried the crying girl off of him. “Sister Nori will take you to my room. I need to-“

“No!” Rin buried herself into Shiro’s shoulder.

‘ _Oh god, kid, what’re you doing to me,’_ he sighed. ‘ _It’s going to be a long night.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay; I took a long time doing background research for this fanfic.


	3. A long night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait! This chapter is merely a third of the way complete, but the way I'm going right now, I don't think I can do long chapters. So, I plan to write shorter chapters, and hopefully write them more often! Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!

Chapter Three: A long night

‘Yukio looks pale,' Rin thought, refusing to let go of Tou-san's shirt as she stared at her brother's body. Yukio wasn't moving either. He looked like he was asleep, except for the dark red mark on his shoulder. Izumi-nī took off his shirt.

She cried out for him, and everyone looked at her in surprise. Tou-san's chest rumbled, and she looked up at him. He was moving his lips, making a sound, but she couldn't understand him. She shook her head and buried her face in his chest. Tou-san wrapped his arms around her.

_‘That man tried to hurt my little brother.'_ She remembered seeing nothing but a large man wearing all black, standing over Yukio. She said "Hey!" once, and the man looked at her before bringing the knife down.

She had run at him, but he jumped out of the window before she could even touch him. Then, she remembered throwing her stuff towards her side of the room, picking up Yukio, and screaming for Tou-san.

She turned her head to the side and whined when she saw Misu-sofu putting a needle into Yukio. Yukio hated needles. Misu-sofu started to pull a tiny hook and a piece of thread through her brother's skin. Yukio had a tiny blanket wrapped around his chest, and the only moles she could see were on his shoulders.

Tou-san made a noise again, and Rin understood this time. He was worried. She was worried too. And scared. She hugged him once, before sliding off his lap. She pushed Izumi-nī to the side, and laid down next to Yukio, throwing an arm around her brother.

_‘You're going to be okay, Yukio,'_ she thought, squeezing her eyes as tight as she could.

She could hear footsteps all around her, people making noises out of their mouths. Someone once had her let go of Yukio. She opened her eyes to see who it was; it was just Tou-san putting Yukio in a different shirt. She waited for him to finish before she held onto Yukio's hand. Tou-san lifted both of them up in his arms and started to walk away.

Rin didn't let go of Yukio's hand.

Yukio whimpered, turning his head to face her. His eyes were still shut, but he was starting to wake up.

_‘It's okay, Yukio,'_ Rin reached out to her brother. _‘It's okay…'_

_‘It hurts really bad,'_ Yukio replied.

Rin squeezed his hand. _‘It's okay.'_

_‘The bad man said that things like me and you shouldn't live…'_

Anger flared up inside of her. _‘He's wrong! If Tou-san thinks I'm worth saving, then so are you!'_

To her surprise, she found herself, and Yukio, being laid on a soft bed. Yukio curled up next to her, leaning on his unhurt side. Tou-san tucked a blanket in around them. He brushed hair out of their eyes and said something rather comforting to them.

Yukio started to wake up, tears pouring out of his eyes. Tou-san shushed him and poked another needle in him. Yukio relaxed.

_‘He's asleep,'_ Rin thought and snuggled up closer to him.

The lights turned off in the room. After a little while, the door closed shut.

Rin lay there in the dark, listening to Yukio breathe, and as she lay there, she remembered the Book.

When she stopped reading, it had talked about Old Ones, beings who walked on this earth before humans. It said they had different powers, and were associated with different things on earth. But all of that changed when a group of demons was released, and humans started to build cities. She didn't know what happened after that. Her eyes felt too tired, and she yawned loudly. So, she went back to her room.

Only to find that man standing in front of her.

As Rin huddled under her blankets, she heard the door open and smiled. Tou-san was probably back!

But a few moments later, the footsteps walked away.

‘Tou-san?' She sat up on the bed and looked toward the doorway. A bright blue flame glowed in the doorway. "Huh," Rin looked at Yukio. He was still sleeping.

He was gonna be okay. So, she slid off the bed and walked toward the doorway. The blue flame sank down so it was right in front of her face. It suddenly moved away from her.

"Hey!" she shouted and chased after it.

It flew to the left and down a long, long hallway. There were doors on one side, and a railing on the other. Large black spots, like piles of dirt, covered random places.

As she continued to follow the blue light, she felt something weird. It felt heavy, and it felt like it was pulling her. As she continued to follow the light, the stronger it got. It started to scare her. She didn't want to go.

So, she stopped. As did the blue light.

And heard something slithering behind her.

_‘Scary feeling, or creepy feeling?'_ Rin couldn't move her legs, no matter how much she wanted to. The slithery thing seemed to get closer and closer to her.

The blue light floated closer to her and brushed up against her cheek. It was warm, soothing, like Tou-san. "Okay," she said, the blue light floated to her hand. "I'll follow you!"

It pulled her forward, and Rin screamed in surprise. She tried to keep up with it by running, but when the slithering creature seemed to come closer and closer, the blue light suddenly covered her in all blue. She couldn't see anything but that same blue for a while until it faded away, and Rin fell onto the floor, landing on her face.

"Hey!" she quickly stood up and looked around for the blue fire. "That's not nice!"

"Well, you're not hurt, are you?" a deep voice growled.

Rin spun around and saw the most gigantic man she'd ever seen sitting on the steps. Blue flames sprang up and surrounded him.

The gigantic man had two large horns curving out of his head. His dark, dark green hair fell just above his red eyes. He wore a blue shirt and had a fancy cape with a large collar sticking out of him. He had pants that only went to his knees, and silver metal covering everything else. But instead of feet like a normal person, he had two hooves.

"Are you?" he asked again.

Rin shook her head. The man had a certain feeling around him, like the pretty lady and the goat-man she met before. He also felt really dangerous, like he can hurt people really bad. But at the same time, Rin felt that he wouldn't do that to her.

When he lifted his arm up, Rin saw that he had long fingernails on his hands. She couldn't look away as one finger pointed to her and then curled up. "Come here," the man ordered.

Rin shook her head. "Daddy told me not to talk to strangers.”

The man snarled, “Daddy? Who’s your Daddy, little girl?”

The way he said ‘Daddy’ made her angrier. She raised a fist at him “Don’t call him like that! Daddy’s awesome! And he’s the coolest person ever!”

He stood up, and Rin gasped; he was as tall as a mountain! He took a step closer to her, and she could feel the ground tremble. “I asked, little girl, what your Daddy’s name is?”

She reached down, grabbed the first thing she could find, and threw it at him. A piece of wood bounced off his chest. “His name is Shiro Fujimoto!”

The next thing she knew was that she was up in the air, held by the man’s strong hands, and big eyes stared into hers, eyes that were mostly white, with tiny red circles in the middle…

Eyes that bore into her, and picked out every single detail, eyes that stabbed right through her being…

Eyes that saw everything inside of her, even the things she didn’t know…

Rin tried to move her body but found that she couldn’t. It became harder to breathe, even though she tried and tried and tried. Her arms, the only parts of her body to have not been held by the man, lay limp.

She felt something empty inside of her. It grew, and grew, and grew until she could feel it eat up her entire body.

Then, she felt something break inside of her, and blue flames roared.


	4. Dads worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things are told sooner rather than later to the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sister pointed out how the last time I updated this chapter, it was in September and told me she hated authors who did that. Which prompted me to get my shit together and churn this chapter out.  
> This isn't as edited as I wanted it to be, so today we shall die like men.  
> I'm sorry for the delay...like the almost a year delay. I just feel overly pressured to update and then I procrastinate cause that pressure makes me feel bad and procrastinating makes me feel worse...*sighs* it's a cycle.  
> I've also recently got into Boku no Hero Academia, and I have two fic ideas; VillainFemIzuku or HeroAnimalWithAQuirkIzuku (and that's all I'm going to say on that matter!)  
> Enjoy! Leave a comment!

Chapter Four: Death of a child

(Suguro POV)

When Suguro Tatsuma woke up in the middle of the night, gut-clenching and his stomach sick, he knew that ‘ _Something is wrong.’_

He sat up carefully, mindful of his sleeping wife. She had taken over her family’s inn in order to support the temple, whose followers were slowing leaving, fearful of the curse of the Blue Night. But not only that; she had to look after Ryuji and Koneko-kun, the son of his good friend who had recently passed.

He smiled at her sleeping form, brushing aside a stray hair that lay across her face. It had been a tiring day for her, physically and mentally. He wanted her to rest.

He walked to the closest, and gently pulled out his ceremonial robes. Hidden among them was a pager, which was faintly vibrating. The message it showed was ‘ _1/2 attack, 2/2 gone. Seal?’_

‘ _So, the secret is in danger,’_ he thought, pulling on his robes. Quietly, he stepped out of the room, and slid the door close, gently, behind him.

He wore nothing but thick socks as he made his way out of the inn, and up the mountain. He could feel the eyes of the Vatican spies, demons bound to their master, on him, and he knew that he had to lose them. It was easier than he expected though. Somewhere along the lines of his path upwards to the old temple, he felt them leave.

No doubt, they would inform the guards he was on his way.

What did surprise him, however, was the youngest son of the Shima family bursting out of the bushes, his father’s shiri’ki in hand, and landed on his hands and knees.

“Aw man, what a drag,” the boy moaned, rubbing the back of his head.

Suguro-san couldn’t help but smile as Renzo-kun unintentionally imitated an older brother he never knew. Takezo-kun often complained about working too much, but when he had to, he stepped up into his role as the first son of the Shima Family. Now, that role had to fall onto Juzo-kun, the second son.

“Ah, Renzo-kun,” Suguro-san chuckled, as he held out a hand. Renzo took it and stood up, looking rather bashful. “What brings you out here this late at night?”

“Yamantaka,” the boy muttered. “He wouldn’t let me sleep. He keeps saying ‘the old gods have come; the old gods have risen.’”

Suguro’s heart almost stopped for a moment. “Aaah, I see. Is that so?” he kept his voice light, to keep any chance of suspicion away from the boy.

“He made me come all the way out here,” Renzo continued to complain, “I won’t get any sleep at all!”

Suguro chuckled and held out his hand once more. “Why don’t we take a walk, together, you and I?”

The young boy was confused, but he took the priest’s hand. “Where are we going?”

“To the old temple,” he replied.

“But that’s so far away!” Renzo whined. “It’s too much of a hassle!”

“If you fall asleep, then I’ll just pick you up, and carry you there myself!” Suguo-san said.

Renzo shrugged “Why can’t you just bring me home?”

He sighed; the boy already had too much put on him. It was best to tell the truth right away. “Renzo-kun, Yamantaka woke you up, didn’t he? That meant that he needed you to do something. And he said that the old gods awoke. So, come with me, and you will start to understand what it means.”

They walked in silence for several more minutes. Crickets would chirp, and the occasional owl would hoot. Suguro-san kept a close eye on Renzo, especially when the boy paled at the sight of bugs.

‘ _He fears bugs…Takezo-kun had no reason to…until they turned on him.’_ He narrowed his eyes, ‘ _What-if?_ ’

‘ _No,’_ He shook his head, not willing to go there now. Perhaps, sometime in the future, he could understand the matter fully, but for now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

The sinking feeling in his stomach grew.

They made the rest of their journey in relative silence. When they reached the top of the hill, he could see the two Exorcists on either side of the temple.

“Wait here, Renzo-kun,” Suguro-san instructed, letting go of the boy’s hand. “And no matter what happens, stay out hidden. If you get too scared, then go back home to your father.”

“What hassle” Renzo groaned. “Who are those people anyway?”

“Exorcists,” he answered, staring intently at the two men. They didn’t seem to notice the two new arrivals, and from what he can see, there weren’t any demons nearby. Good. “They come from True Cross City. Now, stay here, Renzo-kun. I’ll be back soon.” He left without waiting for a reply.

The two guards let him pass without any problem. Inside, he could see the shrine, and in front of it, Kurikara.

The blade used to be deep, blood-orange color, to represent the flames of Karura. But ever since that one-night ages ago, it turned into a brilliant blue. Some say it was the sign of the Blue Night, of Satan’s deeds.

How wrong they were. How the actual truth, given to him by an old friend (or rather, a disgruntled fellow priest), was a much harsher, crueler truth.

There was a reason he didn’t like the Knights of the True Cross. They were warriors, yes, soldiers who marched to the beat of an organization so prideful in thinking that it’s the oldest institution in the world. There were others before the Church, as there will be long after the Church has gone. But the very organization those exorcists worked for…but of course, it was founded by a demon. What else can one expect other than cruelness and bloodshed? The Knights of the True Cross had a darker history then they were told.

He sat down in front of the shrine, eyes fixed on Kurikara. Its seals were burned off.

‘ _It’s too early,’_ he frowned. ‘ _Father Fujimoto needs to be informed.’_ He pulled out the pager from his robes and sent a reply.

‘ _Seals gone.’_

As soon as he set it down, a reply came. “Oh? So soon?” He muttered.

And the reply was only in two words, making him chuckle, ‘ _Custody battle.’_

“Is everything alright?” One of the exorcists poked their head it, nearly startling him.

“Yes, it’s all fine,” Suguro said, knowing it was the truth.

‘ _It should be quite interesting,’_ he mused, waiting a few minutes. Once he was sure the exorcists were back in position, he pulled out a fake sword from underneath the altar. It was an exact replica of the one above. He quickly swapped the real one for the fake. He inserted a key in the little keyhole under the altar and set the blade inside.

‘ _For now, the children are safe,’_ He thoughts turned to Renzo, waiting for him outside, and the obvious signs that would appear on the body of the girl whose heart had been sealed away in Kurikara. ‘ _At least, one out of the three will be. And Buddha helps us all when_ his _power is unsealed.’_

* * *

(Rin POV)

When Rin woke up, she was hurt all over. And blue flames flickered across the room.

Her hands hurt. Her legs hurt. And the floor she was on looked dirty, and dirt was covering all over her hands. She remembered Tou-san telling her that she needs to keep the wounds clean, or they’d get the infection and her limbs wound be chopped off.

She heard a whimper, and when she looked to her right, she saw Yukio standing there. His shirt was torn open and dirty, and he had burns all over him as well. “Yukio!” Her mouth felt funny like it had more teeth in it. She stood up and took a step towards, her legs wobbly, but still, she walked towards her little brother. “What happened to you? Who did that to you?” Every time she tried to walk forward, Yukio took a step back.

She stopped. “Yukio?” her stomach felt queasy. She looked down at her own hands. She beat up someone before. She couldn’t remember doing it…but she remembered when Tou-san came in…and she felt so angry…she was very angry…

“Yukio…did…did I hurt you?” She looked up at him, only to find a large snake coming up behind her little brother. ‘ _Yukio! Look out!’_

Yukio turned, and he froze. Rin ran towards him and put herself in front of Yukio, arms stretched out. “Go away,” she shouted. The snake was large, like one of those snakes that would eat an entire person in a scary movie. Its head was like the size of Rin, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her from beating it up!

“How brave of you, fire-spawn,” a voice echoed in the air. It was soft, and a little hissy. Like a snake.

Rin’s eyes widened, “Did you say that?”

“They did,” that same voice spoke up from behind her.

Rin spun around but almost fell over because there was something heavy on her back. “Yukio, you tripped me!”

“Your tail wrapped around me!” Yukio blurted out, the first thing she heard him say.

“Huh?” Rin turned around to face Yukio, and as she did, a furry black tail whacked her in the face “Owww!”

“Clumsy, aren’t we?”

The snakey person from before was tall and thin, and she couldn’t tell if they were a boy or a girl. The person had a thin face, and thin lips, and wore a big black dress. It looked like something the nuns would wear, only without the veil on the head. There was a snake made of golden thread on the dress. Red eyes glowed almost purple in the blue flames.

“Who’re you?” Rin demanded, standing in front of Yukio. “What do you want?”

“Rin, Yukio,” A familiar voice called out from behind them.

She and Yukio turned to find their father walking towards them, coming out of the blue flames, which didn’t seem to harm him. Behind him was the giant man from earlier, who wasn’t looking at any of them, but was instead staring at the blue flames, lost in thought. He had the same blue flames surrounding him when she saw him before. But Rin pushed him out of her mind; he wasn’t going to do anything right now, and besides, Tou-san was going to explain everything!

“Tou-san!” She ran towards her father, who knelt and hugged her. “You’re here!”

“It’s okay Rin,” Shiro put his hand on the back of her head “It’s okay.”

“T-Tou-san,” Yukio sniffed. Tou-san reached out a hand towards him, and her little brother walked on shaky legs towards them.

“Everything’s gonna be okay now, Yukio!” Rin declared, pumping her fist into the air. Yukio cried into their dad’s shoulder. “Tou-san’s here!”

“Well, the kids are certainly…endeared to you,” The snake person commented, coming closer. “Long time no see…Shiro.”

“Shahamir,” Tou-san greeted the person and stood up. Rin didn’t let go of him, and of course, her little crybaby brother didn’t either.

“We have our work cut out for us,” a familiar voice said. Rin turned and found the large man staring right at them this time. “The girl is a mess. And the boy, a coward.”

“They’re children, they weren’t meant to see you so soon,” Shiro turned to the large man. “You’ve both scared them.”

“Apologies,” the large man scratched the back of his neck. “I grew angry when they considered a weak human like yourself to be their father; at least, the girl did.”

“Hey!” Rin shouted, “Tou-san’s not weak, he’s the strongest person ever!”

“Nee-chan,” Yukio mumbled, “D-Don’t.”

“It’s all right, Yukio,” Tou-san smiled. “I know he’s scary, but Jacob won’t harm you, or Rin.”

But it seemed to frighten Yukio even more; his face paled.

“None of that now,” the snake person, Shahamir, chided Yukio. “Rin, why don’t you start paying attention? You did that before when you met the Triple Goddess and Cernunnos. Now, do the same with us. And tell your brother if either of us is going to harm two children.”

Rin frowned; what were they talking about? She stared at them. They were just like the pretty lady and the goat-man, just like the large man.

‘ _But the large man,_ Jacob, _did something,’_ Rin put her hand to her chest. She didn’t realize it before, but she felt it now. Her chest was heavy. ‘ _He…they are all scary…but I don’t think they’re going to hurt me…or Yukio…or…Tou-san._ ’ She frowned; the last part felt off…but she wondered if it was true…Yukio knew that too, didn’t he?

“Don’t hurt Tou-san,” Rin said “Because, because he’s the greatest person on earth! I know you won’t hurt me or Yukio, but don’t hurt Tou-san!”

No one said anything for a while. Rin noticed how the three grown-ups were all staring at one another.

“I wonder what they were thinking,” Shahamir finally broke the silence, “The Triple Goddess, and Cernunnos. Neither of these children is suitable for divine work.”

‘ _Demon spawn,’_ a voice in Rin’s head reminded her. ‘ _You’re a demon spawn.’_ She held onto Tou-san’s priest dress, and onto Yukio.

“I don’t know either,” Tou-san answered, “These kids,” he wrapped an arm around each of them, but said nothing else.

“Their mother was one of your people, wasn’t she, Shahamir,” the big man, Jacob, said. Rin noticed a strange necklace in his hand. “But still, I would have thought Odin would lay a claim on them. Not such new deities.”

“Children playing at what they don’t understand,” Shahamir walked closer to them. When the big snake started to follow them, Rin kept her eyes on it, but she could also see Jacob raise his hand, and all the blue fire seemed to be sucked into it. Soon, there was nothing left but one large blue light overhead, the same one that led Rin here.

“Tou-san,” Yukio whimpered, “What are they talking about? What…what do they mean about Ka-san?”

Tou-san didn’t reply.

“What’s this, Shiro?” growled Jacob. Blue light reflected off his huge horns; it looked weird. “Are you getting a soft heart now?”

Tou-san stood up, but Rin didn’t let go of him. She could feel Yukio shaking on his other side.  “For all intents and purposes, these children are mine,” he declared. “Not only do I take the burden of raising them, but I will take the _joy_ of being their father. Which means, I have a say, the _only_ say, about what they will be learning.”

“And?” prompted Shahamir, close to them, but not quite. Their snake wandered off.

“They were attacked tonight. Yukio almost died. So, the plan will continue as if nothing has changed. Shahamir, Jacob, I ask that you do your part of the bargain.”

“Tou-san?” Rin’s voice wavered. Something was about to happen, she _knew_ that. But she didn’t know what. She didn’t even know if it was good or bad. And Tou-san, he had such a scary look on his face.

“It’s alright, Rin, Yukio,” his face was back to normal now, not scary anymore as he smiled at them. “These two are friends of mine and your mother. They will help you.”

Shahamir walked closer and knelt. “I’m sorry if my pet scared you,” they told Yukio, their voice softer than it was before, almost kind. “She’s harmless, but if you’re still scared, that’s okay. My name is Shahamir. I am a…worshipper of snakes, you can say.” They bowed a little.

Looking closer at the person, Rin noticed how they weren’t exactly human. Their face looked thinner, more snake-like up close, and their skin seemed to have a lot of tiny scales, like snakes.

“I’m Rin!” she said, knowing that Yukio wouldn’t say anything if she didn’t.

“Y-Yukio,” her little brother bowed back. Shahamir smiled, and stood up, walking away. Jacob replaced her.

“I am…Satan Jacob,” the large man said.

Rin’s eyes widened “S-Satan?” Yukio stammered “Like the Ad-Adversary?”

“What have you been teaching these kids, Shiro,” Shahamir commented.

Jacob looked sad when Yukio said that. “No,” his voice was soft, and Rin felt bad for him, “I’m nothing like him.”

He put a hand on her head and on Yukio’s. She was surprised by how warm it was, and how lightly he put them on their heads. “Father Fujimoto is the man who is raising you, and who loves you two the most out of everyone in this world. But as for me, I am your mother’s husband, and the Ruler of the Demon World.”

He paused for a moment “I am also the man who killed your mother, Yuri Egin, Priestess of Odin.”

 


End file.
